Josh Bell hopes for a longer stay on Orioles roster

Dan Connolly, The Baltimore Sun

Josh Bell's last major-league call-up was so quick he couldn't even pour a cup of coffee.

He was in Baltimore on Monday, pinch-hit, singled and scored a run against the Boston Red Sox, and then returned to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. The 24-year-old third baseman is back again, receiving the promotion Saturday when outfielder Luke Scott was placed on the disabled list.

"I've seen that I was in the lineup," Bell said Saturday afternoon before batting seventh and playing designated hitter against the Los Angeles Angels. "So hopefully this means that I will be here for a little bit longer than a day."

Bell, who batted .214 with three homers in 53 games with the Orioles last year, was hitting .254 with 16 homers in 87 games with the Tides this season. He said he had a tough time adjusting to the minors again after spending most of the last three months of the 2010 season in the majors.

"Being up here last year, and then going back down, it was kind of getting used to some things again, pitching-wise," Bell said. "Just kind of getting back into the swing of things down there was a little bit difficult for me this year. But, towards the end, I started to feel more comfortable. But this is definitely where I want to be, so hopefully I will stick around."

A lot of that may depend on what happens Tuesday, when both middle infielder Cesar Izturis (elbow) and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero (broken bone in hand) could come off the disabled list.

Izturis is on a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie this weekend and Guerrero is expected to join the Baysox on Sunday after experiencing no problems during batting practice at Camden Yards on Saturday. If all goes well, they'll both be back Tuesday in Toronto.

With a nine-man bullpen, it's possible a reliever could get sent down instead of a second hitter.

"I could sit here and tell you how I feel today, but it could change to Tuesday," Orioles manager Buck Showaltersaid.

Because Scott was injured, both Bell and outfielder Matt Angle, who was demoted on Friday, did not have to spend 10 days in the minors and were candidates to be recalled. The Orioles chose Bell, who could also potentially spell Derrek Lee at first base, where Bell played some this spring.

"I think Josh is capable of helping us out over there and doing a decent job, but there's a lot of unknown," Showalter said. "In spring training, we saw his potential over there, and because of his potential I thought it may happen down the road."

Bell said he worked particularly hard on his third base defense at Norfolk this season. He was originally supposed to play third on Saturday, but usual starting third baseman Mark Reynolds had never DH'd before and asked Showalter if he could stay in the field as a way to keep focused. So Bell and Reynolds switched positions. All Bell cared about was playing again.

"I wanted to get in there," he said. "I just had my wisdom teeth pulled, so when I got sent down I took two days off, and I'm just ready to get back into it."

The Minnesota Twins started out terribly this season, but thanks to a relatively weak American League Central race, they may still be buyers at the trade deadline. Needing middle-to-late-inning relief help, the Twins are one of the clubs eyeing Orioles right-hander Koji Uehara, who is 1-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 40 appearances this season.

One of the Twins' top pro scouts has been at Camden Yards the past couple days, and Orioles professional scouting director Lee MacPhail was at Target Field in Minnesota on Saturday. In any trade, the Orioles likely are looking for major-league-ready starting pitching and young position players.

The Twins have a surplus of outfielders, and they recently demoted disgruntled right-hander Kevin Slowey, one of their more available trade chips, to the minors

Around the horn

Catcher Matt Wieters was feeling ill and was not in Saturday's lineup. Reserve Craig Tatum started. … Izturis was scheduled to DH Saturday for the Baysox and play shortstop Sunday. He hasn't played in the majors since May, when he had elbow surgery. … Former Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar and former general manager Pat Gillick will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. on Sunday. … Reynolds, who has spent most of his career in the National League, has pinch-hit 18 times as a big leaguer, but has never served as a designated hitter. … The Orioles had made one error in their previous 86 innings heading into Friday, when they committed two in one game. … Rehabbing pitchers Luis Lebron and Brandon Erbe (McDonogh) were scheduled to throw an inning Saturday for short-season Single-A Aberdeen. … Game-time temperature Saturday was 102 degrees, two degrees below Friday's 104.